Academic Quality Plan  

It is the mission of the Construction Management Department to prepare students to enter and succeed as construction managers in the construction industry.

Entry into, and success in the construction industry is dependent on a person’s knowledge and skills with the principles of engineering and construction management. It is also dependent on the ability to effectively communicate and knowledge of the ethical norms that guide the industry.

Assessment findings will be shared with the students, faculty, and the department advisory committee on an annual basis to solicit recommendations for improvement. These recommendations will be collected and reviewed by the faculty for possible implementation.

Assessment plan

The purpose of this assessment plan is to assure that the Construction Management Program continues to provide a quality educational experience to students through a well planned and well executed program of study. The program assessment plan draws from a number of sources as is diagrammed in the figure below.

 

Course learning outcomes (or objectives) inform a curriculum mapping effort that is re-evaluated on a three-year basis.  Instructors write Course Reflection Documents at the end of each term that detail accomplishments and recommended improvements.

Results from the American Institute of Constructors (AIC) Construction Fundamentals Level 1 exam provide independent, quantitative data to the process.  Each semester, graduating students complete an exit survey that provides qualitative feedback on the program from the student's perspective.

Every three years, potential employers complete a survey that provides input regarding the needs of the industry.

Program outcomes and evidence

The table below shows the program outcomes as defined in our assessment plan and details the trends in our student's performance on the AIC exam relative to the national average.  In all cases except for one, our student's scores in each category have, on average, exceeded the national average by the percentage points shown.

In addition, our student's performance has stayed constant (0) or improved (+) over the years. Trend graphs can be found on the AIC results page.

		AIC Scores *
Students will demonstrate:		Avg. diff. from National Average (% pts)	8 year trend	3 year trend
Skill in Communication
	Oral	+1.6%	+	+
	Written	+1.5%	0	+
Knowledge of methods, materials and plan reading
Knowledge of and skill with use of engineering principles including:
	Engineering Concepts	+1.2%	+	+
	Surveying and project Layout	+1.0%	0	+
Knowledge and skill with the technical and professional principles of construction management including:
	Management concepts	-1.2%	0	+
	Bidding and estimating	+1.3%	+	+
	Budgeting, costs, and cost controls	+2.6%	+	+
	Planning, scheduling, and control	+2.3%	+	0
	Construction safety	+2.7%	0	+
	Project administration	+2.7%	0	+
Knowledge of the ethical principles that guide the construction industry
	*key   + positive trend   -  negative trend   0  flat (correlation coefficient, r2 < 0.10)

Continuous Improvement Program

 As part of our academic quality program, we have made the following modifications to our curriculum and teaching:

• 2010 - Feedback from industry recruiters suggests that our students need better skills in resume preparation, interviewing, and professional presentation. As a result, the faculty agreed to work to together to help students develop better interviewing and professional skills. This objective is also added to our 2011 strategic plan. Anecdotal information from our industrial advisory board and career fair recruiters suggest that we are making improvements in this area. Formal data on this problem should be forthcoming from our industry survey, which will take place in fall of 2011.
• 2010 – Negative feedback from class evaluations and senior exit interviews show a weakness with the content of our Construction Graphics Class (CM222). In 2010, we replaced the instructor with a new instructor who has extensive background in construction documents and graphics.
• 2009 – Qualitative information derived from our Senior Exit Interviews show overlaps and redundancies in our curriculum. In response, the program is currently (Fall 2011) working with the University Office of Planning and Assessment to develop a comprehensive curriculum map.  Once completed, the map will provide us with a tool to understand gaps, overlaps, and holes in our curriculum, and will help us identify new assessment techniques that can be used to measure progress in the future. This project is on-going.
• 2009 - Because of inadequate student performance on the budgeting and cost control portion of the AIC exam, the capstone class was reworked to provide students with a basic understanding of construction cost control, cash flow, and budget management. Scores show substantial improvement over the next several test cycles.
• 2008 – In response to declining AIC scores in communication, the program introduces a new on-line technical writing class (CM302) that is geared to project management professionals. Additionally, focused writing projects are introduced in CM490C to further help students prepare for professional careers. AIC communication scores improve after these changes.
• 2007 – Student, industry and faculty feedback show declining student skill with construction software programs. Program abandons a basic computing class (CIS 120) taught by the business school, and develops a new class in Construction Computing (CM 130) to provide our students with a basic understanding of several important applications including: AutoCAD, Revit, Microsoft Project, On Screen Takeoff, and Microsoft Office applications. Instructors see significant improvements in computer literacy in subsequent classes.
• 2006 – AIC scores reflect problems with our student’s understanding of scheduling concepts and precedence diagrams. Course curriculum was modified in 2007 to adjust to these inadequacies. Subsequent AIC scores show substantial improvement in student learning.